Our Newest Release, Now on Audiobook!
George Washington Carver: An American Biography
George Washington Carver: An American Biography
by Rackham Holt
He educated tens of thousands.
His life story inspired millions.
Now, the only complete and authorized biography of George Washington Carver, a great humanitarian, scientist, teacher, and conservationist is back to print after 60 years.
Did you know that...
Early Reviews:
“Rackham Holt’s biography of George Washington Carver is his life story as he wanted it told. Although the book appeared in print after Carver’s death, he had a chance to read the manuscript before it went to press. In a 1940 letter to Holt, he told her, ‘I started in and I confess I could not lay it down until I had finished it.’ Of all the many things written about him, Carver thought that Holt’s account was the best.”
—Gary R. Kremer, Race and Meaning: The African American Experience in Missouri
"...Written in 1943, this biography is profoundly raw and direct about American racial prejudice but will move you like no ordinary biography because it captures the heart of a man who never let Jim Crow stand in his way. His life's contribution to humanity knows no racial divide."
—Joel Salatin, You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise, co-owner Polyface Farm
"...Dr. Carver was famous before his death in 1943 due to hundreds of admiring newspaper articles, and Holt's book, appearing just before his death, spread that respect and affection for him among a very broad spectrum of U.S. citizens."
—Peter D. Burchard, Carver: A Great Soul
"...Distinguished by its literary flair no less than the personal access Carver himself afforded its author, Rackham Holt's artful and engaging biography is essential reading for serious students of Carver—and a lively and pleasurable read to boot."
—Mark D. Hersey, My Work Is That of Conservation: An Environmental Biography of George Washington Carver
"My grandfather, a white Southerner who lived most of his life during the Jim Crow era, was mentored by Dr. Carver in the early 1930s. He told his children that he believed Dr. Carver was the greatest influence on his life in excellence of study, spiritual awakening, and the realization of, appreciation of, and acceptance of, racial equality..."
—John D. Pickle Jr., PhD., One of His Boys: The Letters of Johnnie Pickle and His Mentor, George W. Carver
Click on book to purchase through Amazon.com.
His life story inspired millions.
Now, the only complete and authorized biography of George Washington Carver, a great humanitarian, scientist, teacher, and conservationist is back to print after 60 years.
Did you know that...
- Carver was born a slave?
- Carver was the first Black student and the first Black faculty member at Iowa State University?
- Carver was the first Black American to earn a masters degree in agriculture?
- Carver had his paintings exhibited at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair as his a college student?
- Albert Einstein once called him second among the 10 greatest living scientists of their time?
- Henry Ford said Carver was America's greatest living scientist?
- Mahatma Gandhi sought his advice on nutrition?
- Carver created a successful treatment for muscle atrophy during the polio epidemic?
- Carver was the first American who was not a president and the first Black American to have a National Monument established at his birthplace?
Early Reviews:
“Rackham Holt’s biography of George Washington Carver is his life story as he wanted it told. Although the book appeared in print after Carver’s death, he had a chance to read the manuscript before it went to press. In a 1940 letter to Holt, he told her, ‘I started in and I confess I could not lay it down until I had finished it.’ Of all the many things written about him, Carver thought that Holt’s account was the best.”
—Gary R. Kremer, Race and Meaning: The African American Experience in Missouri
"...Written in 1943, this biography is profoundly raw and direct about American racial prejudice but will move you like no ordinary biography because it captures the heart of a man who never let Jim Crow stand in his way. His life's contribution to humanity knows no racial divide."
—Joel Salatin, You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise, co-owner Polyface Farm
"...Dr. Carver was famous before his death in 1943 due to hundreds of admiring newspaper articles, and Holt's book, appearing just before his death, spread that respect and affection for him among a very broad spectrum of U.S. citizens."
—Peter D. Burchard, Carver: A Great Soul
"...Distinguished by its literary flair no less than the personal access Carver himself afforded its author, Rackham Holt's artful and engaging biography is essential reading for serious students of Carver—and a lively and pleasurable read to boot."
—Mark D. Hersey, My Work Is That of Conservation: An Environmental Biography of George Washington Carver
"My grandfather, a white Southerner who lived most of his life during the Jim Crow era, was mentored by Dr. Carver in the early 1930s. He told his children that he believed Dr. Carver was the greatest influence on his life in excellence of study, spiritual awakening, and the realization of, appreciation of, and acceptance of, racial equality..."
—John D. Pickle Jr., PhD., One of His Boys: The Letters of Johnnie Pickle and His Mentor, George W. Carver
Click on book to purchase through Amazon.com.
Please Don't P*ss on the Petunias:
Raising Kids, Crops, and Critters in the City
by Sandra Knauf
Raising Kids, Crops, and Critters in the City
by Sandra Knauf
North Street Book Prize Award Finalist 2019
Please Don't Piss on the Petunias is a collection of essays and stories by a Colorado gardener with a dream: to give her two daughters the nature-centered childhood she had always longed for. When her husband finds an old house in a quirky part of town, she begins to make her dream a reality.
Engaging, edgy, and often hilarious, Please Don’t Piss on the Petunias follows Sandra Knauf as she turns a weed-filled yard into an urban paradise. Over the course of several chaotic years, she:
• Muddles through "mistress gardener" training, learning the ABCs of horticulture.
• Raises, with her young daughters, exotic breed bantam chickens named after Greek goddesses.
• Goes on her first bee-swarm capture.
• Discovers that a hen in their small flock has undergone a sex change.
• Copes with a series of family dogs: a rambunctious rescue Dalmatian, a destructive black Lab puppy, and a counterfeit teacup Chihuahua with a bad attitude.
• Adds to the animal menagerie: Netherlands dwarf rabbits, fancy backyard goldfish, triops from the age of the dinosaurs, and more.
Through creating a life filled with plants and animals (and plenty of love) Sandra makes a discovery that will resonate with any rebel: Going off the beaten path may be the best way to find out who you really are.
Click on book to purchase through Amazon.com. 247 p.; $24.95 (Paperback)
Engaging, edgy, and often hilarious, Please Don’t Piss on the Petunias follows Sandra Knauf as she turns a weed-filled yard into an urban paradise. Over the course of several chaotic years, she:
• Muddles through "mistress gardener" training, learning the ABCs of horticulture.
• Raises, with her young daughters, exotic breed bantam chickens named after Greek goddesses.
• Goes on her first bee-swarm capture.
• Discovers that a hen in their small flock has undergone a sex change.
• Copes with a series of family dogs: a rambunctious rescue Dalmatian, a destructive black Lab puppy, and a counterfeit teacup Chihuahua with a bad attitude.
• Adds to the animal menagerie: Netherlands dwarf rabbits, fancy backyard goldfish, triops from the age of the dinosaurs, and more.
Through creating a life filled with plants and animals (and plenty of love) Sandra makes a discovery that will resonate with any rebel: Going off the beaten path may be the best way to find out who you really are.
Click on book to purchase through Amazon.com. 247 p.; $24.95 (Paperback)
Zera and the Green Man
by Sandra Knauf
On the eve of Zera’s fifteenth birthday, she’s finding little to celebrate. Her guardian, Uncle Theodore (who she’s nicknamed “the Toad”), and his frilly girlfriend, Tiffany, are dragging her to the opening of a fast-food restaurant that will feature the Toad’s genetically-engineered creation “beefy fries,” a concept that both sickens and intrigues Zera.
As if that were not enough, Zera is in trouble at school for mysterious events that she neither caused nor understands—and her classmates think she is a freak.
The single light in Zera’s dark birthday is a gift from her grandmother that awakens Zera’s passion for plants and helps bring to light her family’s ancient connection to the natural world.
From there, the battle between those who would violate Nature in the name of greed and those who would protect it evolves—with Zera at its center.
373 p., $2.99 (Kindle); $24.95 (Paperback)
Click on book to purchase through Amazon.com.
George Washington Carver: Grandfather of Sustainability
by Cheri Colburn
In her excellent mini-biography of American scientist/botanist George Washington Carver, author Cheri Colburn shows that Carver was much more than “The Peanut Guy.” Carver was, indeed, a man for today—the creator of brilliant solutions for hard times, and a champion of lifelong learning, beauty, and common sense.
e-book, 36 p., illustrated. $2.99 on Kindle Amazon
Click on book cover to purchase through Amazon.com.
The Whole Ruth: A Biography of Ruth Stout
by Sandra Knauf
A fascinating, in-depth biography of organic gardener/best-selling author Ruth Stout - who was famous for her "no work" garden method in the 1960s and '70s. It's Ruth Stout as you've never known her before - rebel, nonconformist, Socialist, and sometimes (in the garden) nudist!
e-book, 29 p. illustrated. $2.99 on Kindle Amazon.
Click on book to purchase through Amazon.com.
Greenwoman Books, Volumes 1-6 celebrate garden writing in all its forms: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, commentary, biography, art, and comics!
Daring and fun, Greenwoman is for the gardener who loves digging into the world of art, spirit, and environmental thought that underlies gardening.
-Sandra Knauf
(Click on book images to purchase through Amazon.com.)
Daring and fun, Greenwoman is for the gardener who loves digging into the world of art, spirit, and environmental thought that underlies gardening.
-Sandra Knauf
(Click on book images to purchase through Amazon.com.)
Volume 6: Moon Gardening
Contents Include:
"Gardening with the Moon"—the history, the lore, and how to garden even more successfully when you're in harmony with the celestial.
"A Jeffersonian Agrarian Intellectual: Greenwoman Magazine interviews Joel Salatin, and America's favorite farmer/writer/publisher illuminates his passion for the written word.
"Little Cabbage"—A woman in her last days thinks back to the love of her life and their earthy romance.
"Coping Strategies"—pushed to the brink by all the bad news in the world, Leslie thinks up original ways to cope.
"Heirlooms & Hothouses"—Lauri Griffin extols the virtues of both and shows how we can learn from our rich gardening past.
"Chopping Firewood" and "Uncle Joe's Onions"—two poems celebrating the male connection to Nature.
"Love & Roses"—a young, stressed-out wife discovers the perfect metaphor for her marriage, thorns and all.
"Garden Party"—a poem that shows what the garden knows.
Dan Murphy's “Slow Ride;” DB Rudin's "The Creature Feature;” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Contents Include:
"Gardening with the Moon"—the history, the lore, and how to garden even more successfully when you're in harmony with the celestial.
"A Jeffersonian Agrarian Intellectual: Greenwoman Magazine interviews Joel Salatin, and America's favorite farmer/writer/publisher illuminates his passion for the written word.
"Little Cabbage"—A woman in her last days thinks back to the love of her life and their earthy romance.
"Coping Strategies"—pushed to the brink by all the bad news in the world, Leslie thinks up original ways to cope.
"Heirlooms & Hothouses"—Lauri Griffin extols the virtues of both and shows how we can learn from our rich gardening past.
"Chopping Firewood" and "Uncle Joe's Onions"—two poems celebrating the male connection to Nature.
"Love & Roses"—a young, stressed-out wife discovers the perfect metaphor for her marriage, thorns and all.
"Garden Party"—a poem that shows what the garden knows.
Dan Murphy's “Slow Ride;” DB Rudin's "The Creature Feature;” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Volume 5: Ruth Stout
Contents Include:
"Apples are Ruling My Life" — wherein a new hobby orchardist finds more (much more) than she bargained for
"A Life of the Mind — Bruce Holland Rogers' short tale of a man's difficulties with ex-spouse and life in general and the way he finds relief
"The Pot of Basil" — an ancient Italian tale of treachery and eternal love
"The Whole Ruth" — a biography of organic gardening guru Ruth Stout's life, from her Victorian-era childhood, through her two decades in NYC, to her realization of her intense (and sometimes nude) gardening love
"Tomato Love" and "Dearest Mary" -- two poems about love and gardening and other deliciousness
"A New (Garden Writing Sensation): Greenwoman Magazine Interviews Amanda Thomsen" -- Amanda talks about her first book and her interesting trajectory into garden writing publishing
Dan Murphy's “Slow Ride;” DB Rudin's "The Creature Feature;” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Contents Include:
"Apples are Ruling My Life" — wherein a new hobby orchardist finds more (much more) than she bargained for
"A Life of the Mind — Bruce Holland Rogers' short tale of a man's difficulties with ex-spouse and life in general and the way he finds relief
"The Pot of Basil" — an ancient Italian tale of treachery and eternal love
"The Whole Ruth" — a biography of organic gardening guru Ruth Stout's life, from her Victorian-era childhood, through her two decades in NYC, to her realization of her intense (and sometimes nude) gardening love
"Tomato Love" and "Dearest Mary" -- two poems about love and gardening and other deliciousness
"A New (Garden Writing Sensation): Greenwoman Magazine Interviews Amanda Thomsen" -- Amanda talks about her first book and her interesting trajectory into garden writing publishing
Dan Murphy's “Slow Ride;” DB Rudin's "The Creature Feature;” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Volume 4: Garden Goddesses
Contents Include:
"A Generous Season" — A man gives homage to his wife's vegetable-growing talents
"Diary of a Garden Goddess" — a first-trowel account of gardening for the very wealthy, by a part-time gardener/full-time mommy
"En Route" and "Chamomile Tea" — Two poems about the not-so-secret lives of bees
"Perfect Eggs" — An ode to the sexual nature and gifts of chickens; "Grow" -- a poem on just that
"Winter Garden" — a poem on the broody wonder of winter
"Amy's Other Art: An Interview with (New York Times Bestseller Author) Amy Stewart — on her love of painting
"Fire on the Mountain" — a chapter from Take to the Hills - in which a woman homesteader has to fight a wildfire
Dan Murphy's “Slow Ride;” DB Rudin's "The Creature Feature;” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Contents Include:
"A Generous Season" — A man gives homage to his wife's vegetable-growing talents
"Diary of a Garden Goddess" — a first-trowel account of gardening for the very wealthy, by a part-time gardener/full-time mommy
"En Route" and "Chamomile Tea" — Two poems about the not-so-secret lives of bees
"Perfect Eggs" — An ode to the sexual nature and gifts of chickens; "Grow" -- a poem on just that
"Winter Garden" — a poem on the broody wonder of winter
"Amy's Other Art: An Interview with (New York Times Bestseller Author) Amy Stewart — on her love of painting
"Fire on the Mountain" — a chapter from Take to the Hills - in which a woman homesteader has to fight a wildfire
Dan Murphy's “Slow Ride;” DB Rudin's "The Creature Feature;” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Volume 3: The Victory of Dirt
Contents Include:
"Mr. Stripey" -- a hilarious (and edgy) story of a marriage battle—over a tomato plant
“No Compost, No Digestion” — a chapter excerpt from Joel Salatin's amazing new book Folks, This Ain’t Normal
“Never Surrender!”— the tale of a Colorado Plain’s man who wants to save his true love’s garden
“Almost Too Happy”— one woman’s reflection on how her imperfect and sometimes out-of-control life is very much like her garden
“Victory Gardens of Today” — a historic piece by LaManda Joy on America’s Second World War Victory Gardens and the valuable lessons they can teach us now.
A heart-to-heart interview with Jane Gates (landscape designer/writer/artist
Another naughty ("Sex in the Garden") column by Elisabeth Kinsey, who muses on the profoundly fecund subject of dirt
Dan Murphy's “Slow Ride;” DB Rudin's "The Creature Feature;” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Contents Include:
"Mr. Stripey" -- a hilarious (and edgy) story of a marriage battle—over a tomato plant
“No Compost, No Digestion” — a chapter excerpt from Joel Salatin's amazing new book Folks, This Ain’t Normal
“Never Surrender!”— the tale of a Colorado Plain’s man who wants to save his true love’s garden
“Almost Too Happy”— one woman’s reflection on how her imperfect and sometimes out-of-control life is very much like her garden
“Victory Gardens of Today” — a historic piece by LaManda Joy on America’s Second World War Victory Gardens and the valuable lessons they can teach us now.
A heart-to-heart interview with Jane Gates (landscape designer/writer/artist
Another naughty ("Sex in the Garden") column by Elisabeth Kinsey, who muses on the profoundly fecund subject of dirt
Dan Murphy's “Slow Ride;” DB Rudin's "The Creature Feature;” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Volume 2: George Washington Carver
Contents Include:
"George Washington Carver: Grandfather of Sustainability" — an amazingly wrought mini-biography of the man who was so much more than "the peanut guy"
"The Garden Club," the humorous tale of a typical non-gardener and his garden-mad neighbor (who happens to be nine years old)
“Naked Tomatoes”— Alissa Johnson’s delicately-told tale of the changing landscape of love
“Rare Breed”— Former New York Times food columnist Molly O’Neill’s portrait of a former “Marlboro Man” model who is saving heritage breed turkeys in Kansas
“Winter’s Heart”— “Sex in the Garden” columnist Elisabeth Kinsey explores the eroticism and cultivation of roses. PLUS “The Honey Challenge,”
“Slow Ride,” “The Creature Feature,” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Contents Include:
"George Washington Carver: Grandfather of Sustainability" — an amazingly wrought mini-biography of the man who was so much more than "the peanut guy"
"The Garden Club," the humorous tale of a typical non-gardener and his garden-mad neighbor (who happens to be nine years old)
“Naked Tomatoes”— Alissa Johnson’s delicately-told tale of the changing landscape of love
“Rare Breed”— Former New York Times food columnist Molly O’Neill’s portrait of a former “Marlboro Man” model who is saving heritage breed turkeys in Kansas
“Winter’s Heart”— “Sex in the Garden” columnist Elisabeth Kinsey explores the eroticism and cultivation of roses. PLUS “The Honey Challenge,”
“Slow Ride,” “The Creature Feature,” art, comics . . . and MORE.
Volume 1: Germination
Contents Include:
“The Chicken Chronicles”— a woman raising exotic breed bantam chickens in the city with her two young daughters finds that raising poultry can give you something to crow about.
“Gone Native”— a woman mulls over stealing native plants from parks—it’s wrong . . . isn't it?
"Seeds of Sustainability" — the history of seed selling and seed saving in the U.S.A. with a few how-tos and a lot on why this is important!
“A Human Birth”— The fictional tale about a woman and her penchant for finding relief only in the cool, dark soil
Poetry, including: “How to Eat a Mango,” Men at Work,” and “The Scoville Heat Index of You.”
An Interview on gardening, life, and creativity with novelist Carleen Brice—author of Orange Mint and Honey;
A biography on famed Indian plant guru Jagadis Chandra Bose
“Slow Ride;” “The Creature Feature,” Art—Comics—Book Reviews—and MORE!
Contents Include:
“The Chicken Chronicles”— a woman raising exotic breed bantam chickens in the city with her two young daughters finds that raising poultry can give you something to crow about.
“Gone Native”— a woman mulls over stealing native plants from parks—it’s wrong . . . isn't it?
"Seeds of Sustainability" — the history of seed selling and seed saving in the U.S.A. with a few how-tos and a lot on why this is important!
“A Human Birth”— The fictional tale about a woman and her penchant for finding relief only in the cool, dark soil
Poetry, including: “How to Eat a Mango,” Men at Work,” and “The Scoville Heat Index of You.”
An Interview on gardening, life, and creativity with novelist Carleen Brice—author of Orange Mint and Honey;
A biography on famed Indian plant guru Jagadis Chandra Bose
“Slow Ride;” “The Creature Feature,” Art—Comics—Book Reviews—and MORE!
Photo from wuestenigel
